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Christian Persecution

Each month, 322 Christians are martyred for their faith, 214 Christian properties are destroyed most of which are churches, and 722 different forms of violence are committed against Christians including arrests, abuse, and beatings. Christians have always been persecuted since way back in the time of Jesus, and they are still being persecuted today in countries such as Yemen; however there are still things we can do to help these persecuted Christians.

Christians have been persecuted for many, many years. In fact, the oldest recordings of Christian persecution date all the way back to when Jesus was alive. The emperor Nero, who was introduced as emperor when he was only 16, was the first person to persecute the Christians. But there have been other emperors who have persecuted Christians as well. Domitian, Commodus, Trajan Decius, and Septimius Severus were all brutally mean to Christians and persecuted them as well. A few of the ways that these emperors persecuted Christians were by doing things such as letting dogs eat them, crucifying them and using them as torches, and also beating them and burning them alive. They would also make fun of them and blame them for any problems that happened in Rome (like Hitler with the Jews). But the reason that these evil emperors killed and persecuted the Christians was not because they just wanted to or to have some fun (although that was sometimes the cause), it was because they would deny the gods of Rome and their teaching and they would also refuse the emperor’s demands and would not bow down to them. But although the emperors did

this to try to cut out the Christians and to get rid of all Christianity, they built it up instead, even though they did not know it. The persecution actually helped Christianity grow as more and more people heard about it through all of the martyrs and beatings that were going on and more people continued to believe in Christ. But even though the emperors were brutal and persecution was awful, Christianity grew and more and more people continued to accept Christ as their Savior. Christianity grew even through the evil of this world.

But persecution still happens today and is still really bad in some places such as Yemen. There are around 25,000 Christians in Yemen, which may sound like a lot, but the population in Yemen is around 27.4 million, which means Christianity is about 1% of the countries religion. The main religion in Yemen is Islam which is about 97% of the country’s population, which means that for Christians there is a lot of outside pressure to follow Islam because that is by far the main religion. There are a few other smaller religions in Yemen, and they target Christians as well. Yemen ranks #9 as the 9th most persecuted country in the world and they face intense persecution from terrorist groups and from Islamic radicals. There is also the war that Christians have to worry about. The war which is a vicious civil war, already has ½ the country on the brink of starvation and ⅓ of the people without a job. But to make things even harder for Christians, through the chaos of the war terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda target Christians and use the war to bring terror on Christians. But it is also even dangerous for Christians to meet

together because if they are caught they can be arrested, beaten or even killed. It is also very hard for them to get a bible because if they are caught with a bible it will be taken away and they will be imprisoned immediately. One story about the awful persecution that goes on in Yemen is that a Christian leader named Father Uzhannalil was kidnapped from his home and is being held hostage. The kidnappers, a group who was part of Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility and said that the only reason they kidnapped him was because he was a Christian. But even through the midst of all this persecution, and even though they have to meet secretly, Christians in Yemen are staying strong in their faith and are sticking to Christ even through all these problems.

But people today are still helping Christians. There are many people who have realized all of these problems and have stepped up to do something about it. The best way to help and the way that most people help is by praying. Praying is something that has existed since the beginning of the world. Many people pray for things such as help and protection for persecuted Christians, that more people would come to know Christ, and that Christians would impact the lives of others around them. A lot of people also do volunteer work. Volunteering does not necessarily mean becoming a missionary and going to preach the Gospel in other countries, although that is one way. Other ways that you can volunteer are by sending cards, and raising awareness about what is going on in persecuted countries. People also can donate money which goes to things such as giving food and clothes to Christians who have been abused, and it goes to supporting churches in other countries where they do not have enough money. One other way that you can help is by becoming an advocate. You can raise awareness about what is going on in other countries and how we can help them. You can also sign petitions that help people in power learn about what is going on and how they can make a difference and that they have the power to do things about it. You can also contact leaders of countries where there is a lot of persecution, and ask them to give Christians a chance and to have some freedom of religion. But even though there is a lot of danger involved, people today are still raising awareness and are helping Christians.

Christians have always been persecuted since way back in the time of Jesus, and they are still being persecuted today in countries such as Yemen; however there are still things we can do to help these persecuted Christians. What I can do to help is that I can raise awareness like I am doing in the Bible project so that others will know about the struggles that Christians are facing and how we can help them. But through everything that you can do, prayer is the most impactful and if we pray and ask God to help the persecuted Christians. Those are some of the most impactful things that you can do to help persecuted Christians.